Recreational Mathematics Colloquium IV
“Recreational Mathematics” is a problematic expression. For some people, like most professional mathematicians, Mathematics is lots of fun; but for others, like some students, Mathematics can be a nightmare.
Historically, we know that some mathematical research areas are deeply linked to puzzles and games : probability and chance games, graph theory and the Brigdes of Königsberg come to mind.
Ludus Association, the Portuguese Mathematical Society, Centro Interuniversitário de História das Ciências e da Tecnologia (CIUHCT), and Ciência Viva will organize the Recreational Mathematics Colloquium IV.
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência will be our host.
Our Colloquium will be a Show and Tell of bright pearls of Mathematics, with varied levels of sophistication, entertaining many audiences. Its main goal is to foster mathematical appreciation, an important step if we are to see improvements in the future generations.
Scientific Committee
- Alda Carvalho, Portugal
- Aviezri Fraenkel, Israel
- Carlos Pereira dos Santos, Portugal
- Colin Wright, UK
- David Singmaster, UK
- Henrique Leitão, Portugal
- João Pedro Neto, Portugal
- Jorge Nuno Silva, Portugal
- Richard Nowakowski, Canada
- Robin Wilson, UK
- Thane Plambeck, USA
Organizing Committee
- Alda Carvalho, Portugal
- Anabela Teixeira, Portugal
- Pedro Jorge Freitas, Portugal
- Carlos Pereira dos Santos, Portugal
- Jorge Nuno Silva, Portugal
- Tiago Hirth, Portugal
Saturday, 24th January
9:30 – Opening Session
10:00 – Mathemagic
_ José Paulo Viana, Escola Secundária de Vergílio Ferreira
10:30 – Meno’s slave, Lichtenberg, and bees don’t need formulas!
Carlos Pereira dos Santos, CEAFEL, Alda Carvalho, ISEL, Jorge Nuno Silva, CIUHCT-UL
11:00 – Coffee-Break
11:30 – Early topological puzzles
_ David Singmaster, London South Bank University
12:00 – The History of Mathematics in the classroom – a recreational approach
_ Helder Pinto, CIDMA – University of Aveiro
12:30 – Cards with memory
_ Ricardo Lopes & Carolina Martins, Students, University of Lisbon
12:45 – Speedcubing: taking the Rubik’s cube to the next level
_ Vasco Vasconcelos, Student, ULisboa
13:00 – Break for lunch
14:30 – Planets, solids, curves, and myths
_ Carlota Simões, University of Coimbra
15:00 – On the relative value of chess pieces and their combinations
Pedro Palhares, CIEC, Institute of Education, University of Minho
15:30 – The recreational Gerdes
_ Jorge Nuno Silva, CIUHCT-UL
16:00 – Coffee-Break
16:30 – The games tree and arborescence
_ Ilda Perez, ULisboa
17:00 – Mathematics of deaf young children
Laura Nunes, DMCE, CED Jacob Rodrigues Pereira \ Casa Pia de Lisboa
Carlos Pereira dos Santos, CEAFEL, Alda Carvalho, ISEL, Jorge Nuno Silva, CIUHCT-UL
17:15 – Latin Erdos, a mathematical app
_ Fábio Rito,ULisboa, Bruno Fernandes, ULisboa, Jorge Nuno Silva CIUHCT-UL
17:30 – Knight’s tours and its history
_ Joaquim Eurico Nogueira, New University of Lisbon
18:00 – Welcome Cocktail
Sunday, 25th January
9:30 – Digital clock festival
_ Aviezri S Fraenkel, Weizmann Institute of Science
10:00 – Kindergarten activities for early mathematics
_ Ricardo Teixeira, University of Azores, Carlos Pereira dos Santos, CEAFEL
10:30 – Edwinn Abbott Abbott and the fourth-dimensional world
_ Tereza Bártlová, Charles University
11:00 – Coffee-Break
11:30 – An interesting flipping puzzle
_ Colin Wright, Liverpool Mathematical Society
12:00 – Hands-on symmetry
_ Andreia Hall, University of Aveiro
12:30 – When in Lisbon, look at the pavement!
_ Alda Carvalho, ISEL, Carlos P. Santos, CEAFEL
_ Ricardo Teixeira, UA, Jorge Nuno Silva, CIUHCT-UL
13:00 – Break for lunch
Open Show
16:00 – Círculo Mágico de Lisboa
17:10 – Mathematical Circus – Open Show
Monday, 26th January
09:30 – Street Maths: What’s the chance of that?
_ Steve Humble, Newcastle University
10:00 – Raising public awareness of Mathematics: outreach@EMS
_ Jorge Buescu, ULisboa
10:30 – Bold play and timid play with multiple payoffs
_ Cristina Serpa, ULisboa, Jorge Buescu, ULisboa
11:00 – Coffee-Break
11:30 – Unusual problems that can be solved using chess pieces and a chessboard
_ Yossi Elran, Weizmann Institute of Science
12:00 – Atractor‘s software for mathematics – AtrMini and GeCla
_ Ana Cristina Oliveira, Atractor
13:00 – Break for lunch
16:00 – Social Program (Downtown Lisboa)
20:00 – Conference Dinner
Tuesday, 27th January
09:30 – Sudokus for mathematicians
_ António Machiavelo, University of Porto
10:00 – Mathematical glazed tiles (azulejos) in Portugal
_ Henrique Leitão, CIUHCT-UL, Samuel Guessner, CIUHCT-UL
10:30 – Why can’t we visualize beyond three dimensions?
_ Rogério Martins, New University of Lisbon
11:00 – Coffee-Break
11:30 – The mathematical problems of Almada Negreiros
_ Pedro Freitas, ULisboa
12:00 – Right angle proof + Negative prices in supermarkets
_ Adam Atkinson
12:30 – A look at De Viribus Quantitatis and it’s author Luca Pacioli
_ Tiago Hirth, MUHNAC
13:00 – Break for lunch
14:30 – Mathematics in the making
_ Maria do Céu Soares, NUL, Maria de Fátima Rodrigues, NUL
_ Gracinda Guerreiro, NUL, Nelson Chibeles, NUL, Susana Baptista, NUL
15:00 – 2-player Tower of Hanoi
_ Urban Larsson, Dalhousie University
15:30 – Mathematics and fiber arts: knitting, crochet and cross-stitch
_ Maria do Carmo Martins, University of Azores
_ Helena Sousa, University of Azores, Sandra Vinagre, University of Evora
16:00 – Coffee-Break
16:30 – Portuguese Mathematical Olympiads
_ Alexander Kovacec, University of Coimbra
17:00 – Where mathematics ends
_ Fernando Lima, Círculo Mágico de Lisboa
17:15 – Ideal, a new abstract game for three players
_ Bernardo Fernandes (Student), ULisboa, Hugo Almeida (Student), ULisboa,
_ Jorge Mendonça (Student), ULisboa
17:30 – Closing Session
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